


Sweet Potato Pie

by mousie3 (ErinKatz)



Series: The Lion Years [2]
Category: Daredevil (TV), Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: College, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-08-30
Updated: 2015-08-30
Packaged: 2018-04-18 02:30:26
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,383
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4689104
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ErinKatz/pseuds/mousie3
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>“You’re not responsible for your family’s insanity; you’re just a product of it,” Matt says, slipping an arm around Foggy’s waist. Trust me, it shows.”</p><p>“Shush,” Foggy says, leaning into Matt’s side.</p><p>Or Foggy takes Matt and Darcy home for Thanksgiving with his family.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Sweet Potato Pie

Foggy calls his oldest sister a few days after he gets together with Matt. Carly is ecstatic for him.

“I’ll see both of you for Thanksgiving in a few weeks, right?” she asks.

“Of course,” Foggy replies.

“Just a heads up, Grandma and Aunt Marlene have been planning your wedding for the last year,” she says. “They’ll probably tell you about it now that you’re dating.”

“My wedding in general or my wedding to Matt?” he asks, wondering if catching a well-timed flu would allow him to escape his family’s well-meant craziness.

“Your wedding to Matt. They want to have it at Saint Rose’s because he’s Catholic, but we could still have the reception on the beach,” she says. “And yes, you still have to come. You cannot hide from wedding-obsessed old ladies.”

Foggy groans.

“Come on, it’s kind of sweet,” she says. “Besides, I’m pretty sure Matt is immune to the Nelson brand of crazy at this point.”

“You’re just saying that because you liked having them plan your wedding for you once you actually decided to get married. I’m nowhere near getting married,” he says.

“The dress that Aunt Marlene made for Serena will get them a lot of points in my book forever, but you know they mean well,” she says.

“Yeah, I know,” he admits. “I’ll see you in three weeks for the Nelson Christmas Rehearsal.”

She laughs and says, “See you soon, kiddo. Love you.”

“Love you too, Carly,” he says and hangs up.

 

Later, when he’s eating lunch with Matt and Darcy he asks Darcy about her plans for Thanksgiving.

“I’m staying here,” she says. “We’re not off long enough to fly back to Oregon and I’ll see my family at Christmas.”

“Do you want to come home with us?” he asks. “My family would love to have you and I think you’ll like them.”

“I couldn’t intrude on your family Thanksgiving,” she replies.

Matt laughs.

“I’ve told you about my family. I can’t guarantee that half of them won’t assume that you’re some second cousin’s new wife and get upset that they weren’t invited to the wedding, but you definitely wouldn’t be intruding,” he says. “If you don’t want to come, that’s okay, but we’d love to have you.

“Besides, they’ll put you to work,” Matt says. Nelson family holidays require an army of high school and college students to peel potatoes, chop green beans, and fluff stuffing. You’ll be doing them a favor.”

“Alright,” Darcy concedes. “Count me in.”

 

They decide to take the A train to the Rockaways – it’s not the fastest route, but not having to transfer is a huge advantage when they’re carrying backpacks and duffle bags. 

“How do you not have proper luggage?” Foggy asks Darcy on the walk to 125th Street. “I mean, Matt and I never go anywhere that can’t be reached on the MTA, but you live in Oregon.”

“I usually travel light,” Darcy says. “I pack fewer clothes when I’m going home for a few weeks that I packed for half a week with your family. Partly because I still have clothes at home…”

“But also because the number of potential Nelson family holiday activities requiring specialized clothing is staggering,” Matt interjects. “Normal people swim in the summer and sled in the winter but the Nelsons engage in all seasonal activities all year long.”

“First, you cannot hold me responsible for my family’s insanity and second, I told you that you could borrow someone’s clothes.” Foggy says.

“And I told you that your family has extended way too much hospitality for me to ask to borrow clothes. Laundering cold-weather gear is a big deal,” Darcy responds.

“You’re not responsible for your family’s insanity; you’re just a product of it,” Matt says, slipping an arm around Foggy’s waist. Trust me, it shows.”

“Shush,” Foggy says, leaning into Matt’s side.

 

Thankfully, the train is nearly empty, so Foggy picks a window seat and Matt slides in next to him. Darcy drops onto the bench seat perpendicular to them. After they arrange their bags under the seats, Matt tucks his head against Foggy’s shoulder. Foggy rearranges himself so he’s leaning against the window and Matt is leaning against his chest. He wraps an arm around Matt’s ribs.

“Try to get some sleep,” he murmurs. “We’ll be there before you know it.”

Matt nuzzles closer.

“You don’t like trains?” Darcy asks.

“Motion sickness,” Matt answers.

“They make medicine for that, don’t they?” she asks.

“Yeah, it takes the edge off. I’ll be tired and queasy by the time we get there, not wide awake and puking,” Matt says. Foggy tries to interrupt, but Matt talks over him. “And no, Foggy, you should not have gotten one of your sisters to drive us. The whole city is gridlocked, so a car wouldn’t have been any better. I’ll take a nap when we get there and I’ll be fine.” 

Foggy strokes a hand through his hair.

“That sucks,” Darcy says. She unzips her duffle bag and rummages around for a moment before producing a monstrously puffy coat which she hands to Matt, saying, “This thing is practically a pillow, so feel free to use it.”

Matt takes the coat and tucks it between himself and Foggy, mashing it into a comfortable shape, before wrapping his arms around Foggy and closing his eyes. “Yeah, the textile marshmallow helps,” he says. “Thanks, Darcy.”

Foggy grins. “I might have to suggest we go up to Catamount just so I can take pictures of you as a turquoise marshmallow,” he says.

“That coat is warm and you two dorks are the only ones from school here,” she says. “You’ll be jealous if there’s a snowball fight.”

Foggy squeezes the coat and then nods, but Matt mumbles, “No we won’t. We’ll just cuddle. Foggy’s warm.”

Foggy blushes, but kisses the top of Matt’s head. “That’s right. Now go to sleep,” he says.

Darcy pulls a book out of her backpack and flips it open to a marked page. “You’re not the only one who could get incriminating photos,” she says softly. “You two are sickeningly adorable together.” 

Foggy just smiles.

 

Foggy is searching the refrigerator for homemade cookies when his mother corners him. Matt is upstairs napping and Darcy is calling her parents, so he knows they won’t be interrupted for a bit.

“You and Matt are dating now, aren’t you?” his mother asks without preamble. 

He had been planning to tell both of his parents while he was home; her ability to read him like a book really just makes things easier. “Yes. We got together about a month ago,” he says. Five weeks, two days, and four hours if you want to be precise, he doesn’t say.

“I’m so happy for you,” she says, enveloping him in a hug. “You did start sounding happier then.”

“You cannot possibly know that,” he says. He doesn’t pull away from the hug.

“Of course I can,” she says. “I’m your mother.”

“That’s not an answer for everything,” he says, pulling back to lean against the kitchen counter. “Seriously, how did you know?”

“Today?” she asks. He nods. “I could tell by the way you were looking at him. You finally looked completely happy.”

“I’m pretty sure I’ve always looked happy when Matt’s around,” he says.

“You’ve looked at him like he hung the stars since you brought him home two years ago. But it always seemed like looking at him hurt you a little. You wanted something that he wasn’t ready for, or maybe neither of you were, and you felt it like a phantom limb,” she says. “Today when you looked at him, you just looked radiant.”

“It’s not like that,” he says. “I wanted to be friends with Matt. I wasn’t friends with him just so he would date me.”

“Of course not, but even then you loved him and at least some part of you was in love with him. That doesn’t cheapen your friendship,” she says. “Your father is the love of my life and my best friend.”

There’s not much that he can say to that.

“If it makes you feel any better, I always thought that he looked at you the same way. He’s not my son, so I don’t know him nearly as well as I know you, but I’m pretty sure you have both been pining after each other for the last two years,” she continues.

Foggy wonders if Darcy could perhaps finish her phone call quickly and save him from the mortification of listening to his mother telling him how obvious his pining was. Darcy does not appear.

Instead, his mother keeps talking. “That first Christmas, your father thought that I had read the signs wrong and that you just weren’t ready to tell us that you and Matt were dating. He got up in the middle of the night and Mary’s old room was empty and your light was on and he could hear you talking in your room. He was convinced that meant you two were dating. I suggested you two share your room when Mary got home to prove him wrong. When you both agreed to it so quickly, I almost thought he was right.”

Foggy buries his face in his hands and contemplates the possibility of spontaneous disappearance. He wishes that he had paid more attention in physics, but then again, introductory physics probably hadn’t covered the practical applications of Schrodinger’s equation, while he was busy daydreaming about his cute lab partner. And about Matt.

“There’s nothing wrong with platonically sharing a bed, but it isn’t exactly normal for friends,” she says. “I’m your mother; I’m allowed to talk about this.”

“You really aren’t,” he tells her. “Sharing a bed was just about Matt being in an unfamiliar place the first few nights. After that, I guess it was habit.”

“Habit? Did you sleep together at school?” she asks.

“No,” he says. “And I’m really not discussing our sleeping arrangements with you.” 

“Fine, I just want you to be happy,” she says. “It’s a mother’s prerogative to by nosy about her children’s love lives.”

Foggy smiles. The nosiness is annoying and sleeping arrangements should be strictly off limits as a conversational topic, but he does appreciate how much she cares about his relationships. Thankfully, his father picks that moment to walk into the kitchen.

“Foggy is dating Matt now,” his mother tells him.

“Really?” he asks, looking gratifyingly surprised. Foggy nods and he says, “Well, good for you, son.”

“Thanks, dad,” he replies. “Listen, I really appreciate both of you being so supportive, but…”

“You should go check on how Darcy is settling in,” his father finishes for him.

“Yes, I should do that. It’s her first time here,” Foggy says gratefully, heading towards the door.

“One more thing,” his mother says and he turns around, leaning against the wall. “We know Matt pretty well already and we like him a lot, but this relationship is between the two of you and you’re our son, so whatever happens or whatever you decide to do, we’re going to support you.”

“Of course,” his father says, nodding.

He’s not thrilled that his parents are bringing up the possibility that he may fight with Matt or break up with Matt, but it’s nice to know that he has their unequivocal support. He feels a sudden pang of sadness for Matt, whose parents died a long time ago.

“And you don’t have to be dating for Matt to be part of the family,” she continues, making him wonder if she can read his thoughts. “We’re not going to stop caring about him just because you two decide that what you’re doing right now isn’t what you want to do forever.” 

Not that long ago, Darcy had asked Foggy how he loved everyone so easily and so much. He hadn’t known how to answer, but now he thinks that it must be because that’s how he has seen his parents live their whole lives.

“Unless he breaks your heart, in which case, we’ll break his kneecaps,” she concludes.

“Matt is not going to break my heart,” he says, but he’s smiling. “And you guys shouldn’t be breaking anyone’s kneecaps.”

“I’ll leave the kneecap breaking to your mother. She’s much more inventive about those kinds of things,” his father says with a fond smile that makes Foggy worry about his parents: no one should look that besotted over anyone’s desire to cause bodily harm, even imaginary bodily harm.

 

Foggy’s parents go over to his grandparents’ house that evening to help them with setup for Thanksgiving dinner. While they are gone, Carly and Serena arrive with their two young daughters. Foggy hugs his sister and sister-in-law hello then swings his nieces around the room while introducing Darcy. He notices Carly smirking at Matt, so he says, “Mom already figured out that we’re dating, so feel free to say whatever you want.”

“Matt’s your boyfriend?” Ella shrieks so loudly that he nearly drops her.

“Are you getting married?” Cat asks.

Carly, Serena, and Darcy laugh while Matt and Foggy blush. “When you said your family was wedding obsessed, I didn’t realize you meant the preschoolers,” Darcy comments.

“We’re not preschoolers,” Cat declares, hands on her hips. “We’re in first grade.”

“Oh, I’m sorry,” Darcy says sincerely.

Ella and Cat glare at her a moment longer before Ella concedes, “It’s okay, but now you have to help us have a wedding for Uncle Matt and Uncle Foggy.”

“We are not getting married, at least not tonight,” Foggy says at the same time as Matt tells Carly and Serena, “Why don’t you go get unpacked? We can play wedding for a bit.”

“Thank you, Matt,” Serena says pointedly. “Girls, be good for your uncles and Darcy.”

 

“Okay, I don’t think your uncles are ready go get married yet,” Darcy says and Foggy could hug her. “You know who I think should get married? Captain America and Iron Man.”

“Foggy can be Captain America because he’s so nice and Matt likes red so he’s Iron Man,” Cat agrees.

“You know, I’m not sure that a make-believe role play wedding is any less awkward than a make-believe real wedding,” Matt says under his breath.

“Count it as preemptive payback for when Foggy’s grandmother tries to marry me off to one of his third cousins,” Darcy replies.

Foggy figures he might as well go with it at this point. “Who are you girls going to be?” he asks.

“I’m Storm,” Cat answers.

“And I’m Emma Frost. When aliens attack before the wedding, we’re going to rescue Captain America and Iron Man!” Ella explains.

“I like this plan,” Darcy says. “Who should I be?”

“You should be Thor, because some people like to get married in front of gods,” Cat says.

Matt bursts out laughing and buries his face against Foggy’s shoulder. 

“That’s very thoughtful of you and I like controlling lightning,” Darcy says. “Now we need to find costumes for everyone.”

 

Carly and Serena come down to tell their daughters it’s time for bed about an hour later. They find Matt and Foggy tied to the kitchen chairs with Darcy crouched in front of them growling. Cat and Ella, outfitted in black and white sequined capes respectively, are waving cooking utensils in Darcy’s face. Matt’s nails have been painted red and he is wearing a fire engine hued apron. Foggy has an American flag draped over his shoulders. Darcy’s face is covered by a dinosaur mask.

“This is a very interesting wedding,” Carly observes.

“Captain America and Iron Man got kidnapped by an evil space dragon on the way to their wedding,” Cat explains.

“Storm and Emma Frost are rescuing us from the dragon’s lair,” Foggy adds.

“They must be very brave, but I’m afraid we don’t have time for a rescue and a wedding,” Serena says. “We need to clean up and get ready for bed.”

“But Mother!” Cat and Ella chorus.

“Tomorrow is Thanksgiving. Do you want to have to take a nap on Thanksgiving?” Serena asks.

“No,” they answer with exaggeratedly sad faces.

“Then it’s time to clean up,” Carly says. “What do you say to your uncles and Darcy?”

“Thank you for playing with us,” Ella says.

“We’re sorry we didn’t rescue you in time for you to get married,” Cat adds.

“You’re very welcome. And don’t worry, there’ll be time for weddings later,” Foggy tells them.

 

“I like your nieces,” Darcy says after the kitchen has been tidied and the costumes have been put away. “It’s sad, but I don’t think most six-year-olds would have had the girls rescuing the boys.”

“Yeah, they’re pretty great,” Foggy says. “Carly and Serena are pretty wonderful moms.”

“Besides, they convinced you two to dress up as the Avengers,” she says.

“Being Captain America isn’t that bad. Not even much of a stretch since I’m naturally dashing and heroic,” Foggy says.

Matt chuckles and leans over to kiss him.

“If you two ever want to role play a more grown up version of Steve and Tony’s bondage wedding, I could recommend some inspirational fanfiction,” she says.

“Darcy, those are Foggy’s nieces. Don’t make what we just did with them sound kinky,” Matt says, but Foggy notices a tell-tale blush creeping over his cheeks.

“You should share the stories with us, though,” Foggy says. “Just because we’re friends and friends share that kind of stuff.”

“Of course. My favorite is Bondage Barbie Tony Stark. There’s some great fanart that goes with it,” she says sweetly.

Matt catches his breath so hard that he starts coughing. Foggy rubs his back until the coughs give way to laughter. 

“Don’t worry, Matt. I’ll describe it for you,” she says,” unless Foggy wants to.”

Foggy realizes that the idea of telling Matt in detail about an attractive dark-haired man in restraints is not exactly unappealing. He’s nearly positive that Matt agrees.

 

Darcy wakes up early the next morning and feels rested enough that she doesn’t try to get back to sleep. Instead, she pulls on jeans and a sweater, splashes some water on her face, grabs the book she was reading the day before, and heads downstairs. She smells coffee brewing, so she isn’t surprised to see Serena sitting at the kitchen with a mug and a novel.

“There’s more coffee in the pot. Mugs are on the top shelf,” Serena says, gesturing to the cabinets on one side of the kitchen.

“Thanks,” Darcy says, selecting a mug featuring Hermione Granger and Crookshanks, filling it with coffee, and stirring in a spoonful of sugar. “Your in-laws have excellent taste in mugs.”

Serena smiles. “Thee Hogwarts ones are actually from us. Cat and Ella destroyed an alarming number of mugs when they were here last summer, so they wrote apology letters and picked out replacements,” she says. “By the way, thank you for keeping them entertained last night.”

“I had a lot of fun,” Darcy replies. “They’re very imaginative and very feminist. And you should take that as a compliment.”

“I definitely do,” Serena says. “We spend a lot of time reading with them and playing make-believe games. And feminism and womanism are such huge parts of ow we live that they just permeate everything we do with the girls.”

“Womanism?” Darcy asks. “I’m sorry to sound ignorant, but what is womanism?”

“First of all, it’s okay not to know things. As long as you’re excited to learn and willing to accept that your point of view isn’t intrinsically correct and you approach these conversations with the belief that all people, especially marginalized people deserve respect on their own terms, then you shouldn’t worry about being ignorant,” Serena says.

“So as long as I’m a decent person and I’m willing to become a better one?” Darcy translates.

“Pretty much,” Serena says. “Now to answer your question, womanism is a movement that focuses on the needs of black women. It addresses the fact that being black and being female aren’t two separate identities, but rather, being a black woman is a single, cohesive identity.”

Darcy doesn’t say anything for a long moment. “I don’t know much about black movements – and I’m realizing now that’s part of the problem – but everything I’ve read about feminism, even outside of official classes, focuses on white women when it talks about a particular group of women.”

“That’s right. And when feminists are talking about ‘women’ in the more general sense, they usually mean ‘white women.’ The seventy-seven cents to a dollar statistic that feminists love so much doesn’t compare the salary of women to that of men; it compares that of white women to that of white men.”

“Shit, that’s some serious entitlement,” Darcy says. “I really want to apologize on behalf of my race.”

“Don’t beat yourself up over it, but also don’t make empty gestures. Educate yourself,” Serena says. “I’m pretty sure my in-laws have a few of Alice Walker’s books around here. She’s the black female writer who established womanism – so if you’re looking for a place to start, read them. The Nelsons are great about letting people borrow books.”

Both women are so absorbed in their conversation that they don’t notice Carly entering the kitchen until she wraps her arms around Serena’s shoulders.

“Good morning, honey,” she murmurs. “And Darcy,” she adds. “I think I heard the name Alice Walker mentioned.”

“Serena’s teaching me about womanism,” Darcy says.

“Womanism is fantastic,” Carly says. “And Serena is the perfect person to talk to about it.” She still hasn’t let go of her wife’s shoulders.

“Yes she is,” Darcy agrees. “She just pointed me towards some Alice Walker books.”

“She’s modest too. Did she tell you she just finished her PhD in computer science?” Carly asks.

“Nope,” Darcy says. “Didn’t mention it.”

“Well, she did,” Carly says, leaning even closer to Serena. “Her dissertation was on motion planning in mobile robotics, but her introduction was pretty much a tribute to Katherine Johnson.”

“My adviser was pretty awesome – very interested in combining different fields,” Serena says. “If you want to come over the next time we invite her for dinner, you could talk to her yourself.”

“I’d love to talk to her if you’re sure I wouldn’t be intruding,” Darcy says.

“Not at all,” Carly replies. “We’d love to have you and the girls would be thrilled to show you their Lego fortress and introduce you to their turtle.”

“Besides, you’re family now, so if you ever have the time to come over to Jersey City, let us know,” Serena adds.

“Family?” Darcy asks. “Don’t get me wrong, I’m honored, but I’ve only known Foggy for a few months and I’ve only just met the rest of you.”

“He brought you home for Thanksgiving,” Serena explains. “Nelsons are friends with pretty much everyone to varying degrees, but holidays are for family.”

“You and Matt are the only people from Columbia who Foggy has brought home for holidays,” Carly says.

“Oh,” Darcy says. Somehow, she hadn’t expected that.

“You were great with Cat and Ella last night. You took them seriously,” Serena says. “That’s what family does.”

“Like I said, I’m honored to be part of the Nelson clan,” Darcy replies.

 

“You weren’t exaggerating about the army of kitchen assistants,” Darcy says to Matt. They’re sitting side-by-side at a long folding table in a room that she thinks is usually a library or study in Foggy’s grandparents’ house. It’s close to the kitchen, so it has been repurposed into a food prep area manned by about twenty of the young adult cousins. Darcy and Matt are on sweet potato mashing duty.

“Yeah. This is pretty much everyone who can’t really cook but who is old enough to follow directions without starting a food fight or finger painting with the cranberry sauce,” Matt says.

“So you’re saying that if we want to get out of dinner prep duty, we should start finger painting?” the girl sitting on Matt’s other side interjects.

Darcy laughs. I bet we could make a pretty awesome mural from all of this,” she says, gesturing over the table. “I’m Darcy, by the way. Matt and Foggy’s friend form school.” 

“Hi Darcy. I’m Julia – one of Foggy’s many cousins,” the girl says. 

Everyone suddenly quiets as a petite elderly woman strides into the room with a red-faced Foggy in tow.

“Matthew Murdock – Foggy tells me that you are dating now,” the woman declares. “I believe congratulations are in order!”

“Um thanks,” Matt stammers, rapidly turning as red as Foggy.

The cousins titter quietly until one of them begins applauding and everyone joins in.

When the applause stops, the woman turns to Darcy. “You must be Darcy,” she says. “Foggy said that you were instrumental in getting him and Matt to act on their feelings for each other. As his grandmother, I owe you my profound gratitude.” 

“Okay. You’re welcome,” she says. “It’s nice to meet you.”

“It’s nice to meet you too. Now everyone back to work,” Foggy’s grandmother says as she takes Foggy’s arm again and heads back to the kitchen. 

Once they’re gone and everyone has returned to cutting, peeling, and mashing, Matt turns to Darcy and says, “So you’ve met Nana. What do you think?”

“Very nice, but more than a bit crazy. At least I have her profound gratitude,” she replies.

“Nana likes to show her gratitude by offering our hands in marriage,” Julia says. Before you leave, she is probably going to ask you a bunch of traumatically invasive questions about your romantic and sexual preferences and then present you with a list of grandchildren you might like. She’s very open-minded about whatever preferences you may have, but she firmly believes that everyone she likes should marry a Nelson.”

Darcy notices that the entire table is listening to their conversation. “Sorry guys. I’m sure you’re all lovely people, but I’m not looking right now.”

“You could do a lot worse than dating a Nelson,” Matt says then pauses, looking thoughtful. Darcy is grateful that conversations have picked up around them when he says, “Unless there’s someone else you like.”

She doesn’t say anything, just focuses on mashing the seemingly endless pile of peeled sweet potatoes that the boy on her other side keeps passing her. She weighs her options. Matt would drop it if she asked him to, but sometimes talking about crushes can be fun. This feels like one of those times.

“Remember when you and Foggy came to the midterm show for my photography class?” she asks.

Matt nods.

“The professor for that class teaches at the journalism school and she got some of the graduate students to come and see our work. One of them – Cindy – stopped by before you guys got there. She really liked my portraits and it turns out she does photography too. We met up like a week later so she could show me some of her work,” she says.

“And you like her?” he asks.

“Yeah, I think I do,” she says. “Normally, I would have asked her out by now, but she’s a grad student and I guess that’s making me kind of nervous.”

“Don’t be nervous. She’d be lucky to date you,” he says. “You’re smart, talented, mature. A few years shouldn’t get in the way.”

“Thanks, Matt,” she says. “But I don’t want to ask her out directly so I’m not sure what to do, either. I never really flirt with intent, and no offense, but I really don’t want to try being friends for a few years and see where it goes.”

“None taken. That just means she’s not your Foggy, at least not yet,” he says.

“I’m not completely sure I want a Foggy,” she says.

“Good, because you can’t have mine,” he says. “How about when we get back, you ask Cindy to go for dinner or drinks with all three of us. Then it can be a double date if things go well or just friends if they don’t. Besides, I’m pretty sure Foggy and I owe you relationship help forever. Nana might make a decree about it.”

“I’m also not completely sure how much help I want, but all of us going out together would be fun,” she says.

“Hey, Foggy and I can be subtly helpful when we’re not trying to set people up with each other” he says.

She raises her eyebrows, then realizes he can’t see it, so she says, “Uh huh,” packing as much sarcasm into the two syllables as possible.

“Okay, we don’t really have much practice,” he concedes, “so how about we all go out together and we promise to follow your lead about how much help you want?” 

“I like the sound of that,” she says.

 

Dinner is served buffet style: everyone piles a plate high with food and claims an empty patch of real estate somewhere in the house. Foggy, Darcy, and Matt fill their plates and set off for the basement to find a place to sit when Matt is waylaid by Kayla, one of the high school cousins who has had an obvious crush on him since she met him. 

Foggy and Darcy stop too, but Matt tells them that he’ll meet them downstairs as he listens to Kayla’s stories about her first job and reassures her that he really is dating Foggy. Matt knows the layout of the house well enough to get around even when it’s crowded and Foggy really doesn’t want to listen to Kayla talking about how _amazing_ it is that he and Matt are dating, so he leads Darcy to the basement where he ends up on one of the long couches in the basement, squished between Darcy and his sister Mary, with Mary’s boyfriend perched on the coffee table in front of them.

“Mary and Eli teach at our old high school,” Foggy tells Darcy.

“Really? What subject?” she asks.

“I teach world history and Eli teaches English,” Mary says.

“My favorite subjects,” Darcy replies. “Not that I was really a fan of high school. I was the dorky band kid in awkward thrift store clothes who no one really wanted to talk to.”

“No way,” Foggy says at the same time as Mary replies, “I was the really shy kid. We moved out here from Hell’s Kitchen the year I started high school and I’m pretty sure I spent the first year not talking to anyone. I did alright once I got comfortable with a few people, but that was mostly thanks to Carly being popular and outspoken and a year ahead of me. Trust me, high school is better as a teacher.”

“You can’t exactly fix lousy social dynamics, but you can pay attention to who needs help academically or socially or who has something crappy going on at home,” Eli explains.

The conversation continues as they empty their trays, but as half an hour and then more passes, Foggy stops paying attention and starts worrying about where Matt is.

Darcy finally knocks her foot against his shin to get his attention. “Go find Matt,” she says when he looks at her.

“Seriously, we don’t mind. You’re kind of useless without him,” Marry adds.

“You shush,” Foggy tells her, but he gratefully gets up and gathers the empty trays before heading back upstairs. He reminds himself that Matt is perfectly capable of navigating his grandparents’ home, so it makes no sense that something bad has happened. Besides, if anything had, everyone in his family knows to come and get him. Pull it together, Nelson, he tells himself. There’s absolutely no reason to worry.

 

He doesn’t find Matt right away. He finds Kayla who tells him that his father stole Matt away while she was telling him about her role as Seymour Krelborn in the school play. He spots his parents across the room, so Matt clearly isn’t still talking to them. Matt could be with some other member of the family, but it isn’t like Matt to ditch Foggy that way. 

Following his gut instinct, he checks outside, looking out on the expansive yards from the first floor windows. Sure enough, Matt is sitting on the back lawn, leaning against the outer wall of the house, arms clasped around his knees. Foggy’s first instinct is to run out and gather Matt up in a hug, but he takes a moment to think. 

Matt is outside in the November chill with only a t-shirt on; he also looks like he wandered out there without thinking, so he likely missed out on most of the Thanksgiving food. With that in mind, Foggy practically runs upstairs and grabs two coats, then comes back downstairs and puts two slices of sweet potato pie on a tray with two forks. Then he puts one of the coats on and heads outside.

He sits down next to Matt, drawing his knees up and setting the plate of pie on the ground next to him, before Matt gives any sign of registering his presence. 

“Hi, Foggy,” Matt finally says.

“Hi,” Foggy replies. “What’s going on? Is it too loud in there?”

Matt gives a long, shaky exhale and then says, “I’m fine. Don’t worry about me. Your family is inside.”

Foggy takes a deep breath and wraps an arm around Matt’s shoulders. He’s a bit surprised when Matt makes a snuffling noise and presses his face against Foggy’s shoulder.

“Okay,” Foggy says. “I’m not sure what’s going on, but I’m here with you.” That’s when he notices the way Matt is shaking, so he pulls away long enough to wrap the second coat around Matt’s shoulders and then goes right back to hugging him.

After another minute, he hazards a guess. “Did my parents say something that’s got you sitting out here?’

Matt shakes his head and mumbles, “Not their fault.”

“Let’s not worry about blame,” Foggy says. “I just want to know what you’re thinking.”

“Your parents are too nice to me,” Matt blurts out and Foggy finally realizes what’s going on. Matt continues, his voice catching on repressed tears. “They said they were glad that we’re dating, but that no matter what happened, I was still part of the family and they still cared about me.”

Foggy smiles. “They told me pretty much the same thing.”

“But you’re their son. I’m just…” Matt says.

Foggy cuts him off. “You’re not _just_ anything. You’re someone my entire family likes and cares about. Someday, I’m going to get you to stop being surprised every time someone cares about you. You go out of your way to help people and then you expect them to not like you. I’m pretty sure that as your boyfriend, it’s my duty to prove to you that you are very loveable to very many people.” He reaches up and ruffles Matt’s hair a little.

Matt finally cracks a smile and says, “Okay. I may have overreacted a little. Sorry about that. I’m not used to people…” he trails off, waving one hand in a gesture that Foggy takes to mean, I’m not used to human kindness. 

And that’s the saddest thing he’s heard in a long time, so he tugs Matt back against his chest and says, “Lucky for you, I’m making it my job to acclimate you to people caring about you. We’ll do it by exposure. You are going to experience so much niceness.” 

Matt laughs at that, so Foggy lets go of him to grab the plate of pie and the forks. He hands one fork to Matt. “Best part of Thanksgiving dinner right here. Can’t have you missing out,” he says.

Matt takes a bite of the pie. “I didn’t think it was possible, but I swear Nana’s sweet potato pie gets more delicious every year.” 

“That’s the anticipation you’re tasting,” Foggy says. “We’ve waited a whole year for this pie.” 

Matt smiles and leans his head against Foggy’s shoulder, somehow managing to eat and cuddle at the same time.

“Happy Thanksgiving, Matty,” Foggy says.

 

This is why I brought both my bathing suit and my puffy parka,” Darcy says, settling onto the quilt that she, Foggy, and Matt have just spread over the sand. The boys sit down on either side of her. 

“You’re not even wearing your bathing suit,” Foggy says. He’s wearing black swimming trunks adorned with white Stormtroopers and lime green flip flops.

“Some of us have better hypothermia prevention plans than cuddling with our boyfriends after plunging into icy water,” Darcy says.

“You’re welcome to cuddle, too,” Matt tells her. “Right, Foggy?”

“Of course,” Foggy agrees. “I am all for platonic cuddle piles.”

“And that is my new favorite term,” Darcy says. “Unfortunately, I don’t think they’re a match for the Atlantic in November.”

“Suit yourself,” Foggy says. “You’re uninvited to our – Actually, scratch that, you’re still invited to the cuddle pile.” 

“Awesome!” Darcy replies, slinging an arm around both boys.

They sit like that for a while longer, enjoying the sound of the crashing waves and the feel of the fresh, salty air. Then one of Foggy’s cousins runs up to them yelling, “Daniel just triple dog dared everyone to go in the water!”

Matt laughs and looks at Foggy. “Well, he says, “I suppose you don’t have any choice if it’s a _triple dog dare_.”

“It sounds like Nelson family honor is at stake,” Darcy adds.

Foggy is already standing up and pulling his hoodie over his head. Matt takes it from him. “Sure you guys don’t want to come in?” Foggy asks.

“Absolutely,” Darcy says cheerfully. “Go be honorable and we’ll be warm.”

Matt just tugs Foggy down for a quick kiss before he jogs over to join a line of cousins at the water’s edge.

“They sort of look like lemmings,” Darcy tells Matt. “We do have enough blankets for everyone, right?” 

“Yeah, there are plenty of blankets – right over there, I think,” he reassures her, gesturing towards a towering stack of fleece blankets. “Nelsons like their ridiculous stunts, but they’re always prepared.” 

A minute later, Matt is wrapping a dripping and shivering Foggy in one of the blankets. “You’re warm,” Foggy tells him, leaning forward to kiss his nose. Matt leans in and kisses him properly, hugging the Foggy-blanket-burrito tightly. Foggy hums happily, appreciating how warm Matt’s mouth is.

“You know, naked cuddling is supposedly a decent cure for hypothermia,” Darcy says, looking over from where she is wrapping Julia in another blanket. “Just mentioning it because you two are halfway there already.”

Julia laughs through chattering teeth. “It would also be a great way for Foggy to find out how many of our teenage cousins have crushes on his boyfriend,” she says.

“I guess that’s what I get for dating someone ridiculously-out-of-my-league attractive,” Foggy says. He means it as a joke, but he’s pretty sure a very real note of insecurity seeps through because Matt’s arms suddenly tighten almost painfully around him.

“We’re both ridiculously attractive,” Matt says. “If anything, you are out of my league. But you’re their cousin, so they can’t be attracted to you.”

“Actually, if you go far enough back in our family tree…” Julia begins. 

“Nope. We are not discussing our ancestors’ hypothetical incest,” Foggy cuts her off.

“You’re no fun. That sounds fascinating,” Darcy says.

The conversation is mercifully cut short by someone yelling, “Come on, let’s go home!” leading to a flurry of activity as everyone packs their beach stuff into three cars and a van.

Matt, Foggy, and Darcy slide into the backseat of one of the cars for the short ride back to Foggy’s grandparents’ house. Foggy nuzzles against Matt and then pulls Darcy against his other side. “I’m still cold, hence, platonic cuddle pile,” he says.

Matt and Darcy both laugh, but scoot closer. “Craziest Black Friday ever?” Matt asks Darcy.

“Not even close,” Darcy replies. “I’ve gone shopping on Black Friday. Then Nelsons don’t turn into a zombie horde willing to trample each other in pursuit of supposed deals.”

“If the Nelsons ever became zombies, they’d be nice ones, like the Twilight vampires,” Matt says.

“I don’t know whether to be offended that you compared me to a sparkly vampire or to laugh at you for having listened to Twilight,” Foggy says.

“There’s nothing wrong with sparkling,” Mat says and Foggy squawks in indignation.

“Best Black Friday ever,” Darcy murmurs, prompting smiles from both of them.

 

Carly and Serena drive them back to school the next day, shooing them into a van along with Cat and Ella in the early afternoon when traffic is light. Matt gets to DJ because he’s riding shotgun, but he mostly listens to Cat and Ella’s plaintive demands for the songs from _Wicked_. By the time they get to Columbia, they’ve listened to the entire soundtrack and Foggy is grumbling about having _Popular_ stuck in his head despite having never seen the musical.

Serena finds a place to pull over near the corner of 113th and Amsterdam and everyone else piles out of the van. 

Darcy walks around to the driver’s window and Serena rolls it down.

“Thank you. For the ride. And, um, everything – I mean the great conversations,” Darcy says. “I’m really glad that I got to meet you.”

“You’re welcome,” Serena says, smiling broadly. “I really enjoyed our conversations too. Remember you’re welcome to visit any time.”

“I fully intend to take you upon that,” Darcy says. “And if you ever need a babysitter, let me know. Your girls are awesome.

Cat and Ella nearly tackle Matt in a goodbye hug, wrapping their arms tightly around him form either side. Matt flails for a moment, then finds his balance and reaches out with both hands to ruffle their hair.

“Uncle Matt!” Ella squeals, but neither girl pulls away.

“Do you _have_ to go back to school?” Cat asks.

“Yes, and so do you,” Matt answers. “I’ll see you soon though. Christmas is only a month away.”

“You and Foggy can’t get married before then because we have to be your flower girls,” Cat tells him.

Matt swallows down a laugh and replies, “Well, we couldn’t have a wedding without flower girls, so I promise that if Foggy and I do elope, we’ll take you with us.” The idea is oddly appealing because he realizes they could actually do it – have a town hall wedding with just him and Foggy. Cat and Ella could be flower girls and Darcy would be their witness. They could get married tomorrow.

He kind of wants to and that terrifies him, so he tugs both girls into a hug to ground himself.

“I’m going to miss you,” he says.

“We’ll miss you too, Uncle Matt,” Ella answers.

Foggy takes their bags from his sister as she unloads them form the back of the van.

“I know you didn’t ask for my opinion, but I’ve never seen you happier than this,” Carly says. “Matt too. And Darcy fits with you guys. It’s like a puzzle that I always thought was put together right just rearranged itself in a better way.”

“Your metaphors have always been weird,” Foggy says, “but I appreciate the sentiment.”

Carly pulls him into a hug. “I’m just glad that you’re happy,” she says. “And you know you can call if you ever need to talk.”

Foggy hugs her back and says, “You now that I do. Seriously, I’m pretty sure we talk every week.”

Carly smiles. “I know. I just figured it wouldn’t hurt to remind you – what with the whole rearranged puzzle.”

“Thanks,” Foggy says, throat suddenly tight, feeling unexpectedly grateful. This thing with Matt is wonderful and perfect, but also terrifying. It’s nice to be reminded that he’s allowed to talk about it whenever he wants.

Carly squeezes him tighter and whispers, “Love you, kiddo” before pulling away.

“Love you too,” Foggy whispers back.

They watch the van pull away and wave until it’s out of sight.

“That was kind of perfect, Foggy,” Darcy says. “Thanks for sharing your family.

Matt nods in agreement, then leans in for a quick kiss. When he pulls back, he says, “Thank you.”

“Oh, um, you’re welcome, but you guys don’t have to thank me,” Foggy says. “You’re family too.”

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading! Comments are love! [You can also visit me on tumblr!](http://erinkatz.tumblr.com)
> 
> Bondage Barbie Tony Stark was shamelessly stolen from [ this post](http://scifigrl47.tumblr.com/post/30828206344/re-my-recent-comic-shop-purchases).


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